Cam cleat releasing mechanism

ABSTRACT

A releasing mechanism for cam cleats in which a fairlead over which a sheet (rope) can be optionally guided, is offset from the cleat such that when the sheet (rope) is guided by the fairlead and is tensioned, a releasing force component is created to free the sheet from the cleat.

Y J urgich United States Patent i191 June 11, 1974 1 CAM CLEAT RELEASINGMECHANISM 24/134 M, 134 R, 134 E, 134 EA, 134 KA, 134 KB, 134 KC, 134KD, 134 L, 134 N, 134 P, 134 O, 134 QA, 134 CP; 254/135 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,627,834 10/1948 Roberts 114/199 3,051,1168/1962 Weil 114/199 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 122,232 9/1945Sweden 2- 24/134 R Primary Examiner Robert G. SheridanAssistant'ExaminerG. L. Auton 5 7] ABSTRACT A releasing mechanism forcam cleats in which a fairlead over which a sheet (rope) can beoptiona11y guided, is offset from the cleat such that when the sheet(rope) is guided by the fairlead and is tensioned, a releasing forcecomponent is created to freethe sheet from the cleat.

541.557 6/1895 Lewin 114/199 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to cam cleats (often referred to asjamb cleats) of the type used primarily on small sailboats for grippingthe main and jib sheets in such a manner that the held sheet may beinstantly released whenever desired, as for example,'to quickly spillthe wind in the respective sail so as to avoid capsizing.

Cam cleats commonly comprise a pair of parallelspaced swing-mounted camswith opposed jaws shaped to provide a flared forward entry therebetweenfor the sheet. The cams are spring loaded for yieldingly closing thejaws against stops. One axial end of the jaws, top or bottom, is openfrom the flared entry to the aft exit side and is tapered endwise of thecleats so thata tensioned sheet (rope), which is guided by a fairleadaligned with the flared entry, can be pulled from a position aft of thecleat and swung into the open end of the jaws such as to cause the camsto retract sufficiently against the action of their springs as to permitthe sheet to move into the flared entry and between the jaws so as to befirmly gripped for preventing slackening of the sheet. The sheet isreleased from the cleat by pulling it axially of the cleats out throughthe open end of the jaws. However, difficulty is often experienced in soreleasing the sheet when the sailor is in such a position in thesailooat that he must grip the sheet several feet away from the cleat.This problem is often compounded by the fact that the boat may beprecariously heeled. A typical such camcleat is shown in US. Pat. No.2,627,834.

The principal object of the present invention is to obviate thisdifficulty of releasing the sheet from a cam cleat when the sheet needbe manually gripped several feet from the cleat. Other objectives willappear from the detailed description of the invention.

SUMMARY OFTI-IE INVENTION In accordance with this invention a fulcrumfor the sheet is provided aft of the cam cleat and displaced from theentry-exit line of the cleat in the direction corresponding to the openaxial end of the jaws. This fulcrum may be pictured as one of theactue-angle vertices of a right triangle having its other acute-anglevertex located at the exit of the cleat and its right-angle vertexaligned with the entry-exit line of the cleat. T 0 release the sheet itis looped over the fulcrum so as to become the hypotenuse of theafore-mentioned'triangle. Then when the sheet is pulled from a positionspaced from the fulcrum there is a predetermined releasing forcecomponent established by the position of the fulcrum which isindependent of the line from the sailors gripping point on the sheet tothe cleat. In other words, the portion of the sheet between the fulcrumand the cleat will always have the same pull line regardless of wherethe sailor exerts releasing tension on the sheet. The fulcrum ispreferably formed as an attachment to the cam cleat assembly,particularly when the cam cleat is mounted on a swing arm, as is commonfor cleating jib sheets, and may be provided by a horn having a fairleadtip portion swing as the fulcrum. This horn may project inwardly from aclosed loop which extends aft from the base of the cam cleat and servesto always keep the sheet convenient to the horn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTHE DRAWINGS.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a cam cleat and related mechanism embodyingthe present'invention;

FIG; 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 22 ofFIG. I; g i

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view taken as indicated by line 3-3 in FIG.2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail transverse vertical sec- 0 tional viewtaken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For purposes of example theinvention has been illustrated applied to avcam cleat assembly which ismounted on a stepped bracket arm 12 swivel-mounted on a slide carrier 14together with a forward fairlead 16. The carrier travels on a track 15and has a set screw arranged to lodge into selected hole of a row ofholes 21 along the track. Independent swivel movement is provided, forthe bracket arm 12 and the fairlead 16 by a bolt 18 passing through abase plate 22 for the fairlead, awasher 23, the arm 12, and the carrier14. The step in the bracket arm is such as to generally align the eye ofthe fairlead'l6 with the gap between the cam members24-25 of the cleatassembly 10. No claim'is laid to the above-described parts and mountingarrangement or to the specific construction of the cam cleatillustrated. They are only shown to'make clear the operation ofsheetreleasing structure and action provided in accordance with thepresentinvention. I

As is conventional, the cam members 24-25 are in theform of a shellpivoted and held by a machine screw 26 on a base plate 28 integral withthe. bracket arm 12.

Within the shell of. each cam and surrounding the shank of therespective screw 26 is a coil spring 30 having one end thereof bent andsecured in'a hole in the head of the shell and its other end bearingagainst a stop pin 32 projecting into the shell from the base plate 28.The bias of the springs 30 is such as to urge the;

cams to rotate oppositely in a manner bringing the back walls 34 of thecams into transverse alignment bearing against the stop pins 32.Swinging of the cams in opposition to the springs 30 to open theiropposed jaws 25-26" is limited by engagement of the stop pins with thefront walls of the cams.

The opposed jaws 2526' are serrated and have cam surfaces which arecurved in the plane of the base plate to provide a flared entry facingthe forward fairlead 16. From their base plate end the jaws are taperedoutwardly slightly axially of the cams to an open axial'end. This taperfacilitates the entrance of a sheet into operative jamming positionbetween the jaws. As is conventional, a U-shapedplate 36 may be providedwhich is held by the screws26 and bridges the open axial end of the camsto provide a center retaining eye 36 for the sheet when it is releasedfrom the paws of the cams. This eye keeps the released sheet close tothe entrance between the cams.

In accordance with the present invention a rigid loop member 40 isprovided as an extension of the base plate 28 or may be secured as aseparate component as by the screws.26. This loop member is shaped tohave its arms extend rearwardly and also bend upwardly in the samegeneral direction as the open axial ends of the cams 25-26 so as tolocate the central upwardly arched portion of the member well above. thelevel of the cams.

Projecting from one of the side arms of the loop memher to a tipslightly beyond the lateral center thereof is a horn .42 formed with afairlead tip portion 42' which may be downwardly curved somewhat toconveniently seat a sheet. it is important to note that this fairlead42' is purposely offset from the normal in-feed direction of a sheet asdefined by the forward fairlead 1.6 and the gap between the cam jaws25'26. The offset is such that when a sheet is passed aft from the camcleat over the fairlead 42', an adequate releasing force component isinduced on the portion of the sheet between the cam cleat and the horn42 as to pull the sheet upwardly free of the cam jaws into the retainingeye 36 regardless of the pull line on the sheet aft of the horn. Theloop member serves not only to position the horn but also assists inkeeping the sheet convenient to thereleasing fairlead 42' so that thesheet can be more readily looped over the fairlead particularly when aguide release of the sheet fromthe cam cleat is required. However, it isnot essential for such release that the sheet occupy the fairleadportion 42' of the horn it being only necessary that the sheet be passedover some portion of the horn.

-From the foregoing description it will be apparent that when thepresent invention is in operative position on a sailboat, the sheet is threaded'fromthe respective sail through the forward fairlead 16, theretaining eye 36 and the loop member 40. When it is desired to set thesheet it is pulled downwardly from a point aft of the loop member andbelow the level of the cam cleat to force the sheet'from the retainingeye 36 to a gripped position between the cam jaws 25 26. Then, whenrelease from the cam cleat is required, the sailor need only loop thesheet over the fairlead portion 42' or some other portion of the horn42, and pull on the sheet from any location aft of the horn in which thesailor happens to be (see FIG. 2).

For purposes of example the invention has been shown applied to a camcleat which was mounted on a swing arm and for which the release pulldirection is upwardly. It is to be understood that the invention alsocan be applied to cam cleats which are fixed and/or which release by adownward pull'or in some other direction. Also, it is not essential fora practice of the basic concept of the invention that the forwardfairlead 16 or retaining eye 36' be provided since these are notconcerned with release of the sheet from the cam cleat. Furthermore, ifthe cam cleat is kept in a fixed location the releasing fairlead 42 mayhave a mounting separate from that of the cam cleat. In this regard,although the loop member 42 is advantageous in keeping the sheetconvenient to the releasing fairlead 42', the practice of the presentinvention is not confined to use of a retaining loop in conjunction withthe releasing fairlead.

Also important is the fact that although the invention has beenillustrated applied to a cam cleat of the type having two opposedswiging cam members, it is to be understood that the term cam cleat whenused in the accompanying claims is intended to encompass cam cleats orjamb cleats in which there is only one movable gripping jaw.

I claim:

1. In combination,

cam cleat means having a sheet gripping station between forward and aftends and having a lateral sheet releasing direction,

a sheet confining loop extending rearwardly of said cam cleat and ofisetgenerally in the sheet releasing direction,

and an optionally usable sheet guiding fulcrum mounted in the loopwhereby a sheet releasing force component is exerted in said releasingdirection when a sheet gripped by said cam cleat means is tensionedwhile guided by said fulcrum.

2.- The combination of claim 1 in which said fulcrum is provided nearthe tip of a horn projecting inwardly fromthe loop.

3. In combination, a cam cleat means having a sheet gripping station andhaving an infeed-outfeed axis defined by opposite infeed and outfeeddirections and a sheet introducing-releasing axis defined by oppositeintroducing and releasing directions, said axes intersectingat-cross-angles to one another at said station and towhile occupyingsaid station and permitting said sheet I to be released from saidstation in said releasing direction for freedom to then feed in saidoutfeed direction, and releasing fairlead means spaced from saidinfeedoutfeed axis and providing a sheet guiding fulcrum in said workingplane, said fulcrum being spaced from said sheet-gripping location in adiagonal direction between said infeed and releasing directions andhaving an unobstructed side open at right angles to said working plane,whereby a sheet gripped by said cam cleat means may be released as aconsequence of being manually looped over said fulcrum and tensionedfrom a pulling location situated beyond the fulcrum in the outfeeddirection even if the pulling location is aligned with theinfeed-outfeed axis.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which said releasing

1. In combination, cam cleat means having a sheet gripping stationbetween forward and aft ends and having a lateral sheet releasingdirection, a sheet confining loop extending rearwardly of said cam cleatand offset generally in the sheet releasing direction, and an optionallyusable sheet guiding fulcrum mounted in the loop whereby a sheetreleasing force component is exerted in said releasing direction when asheet gripped by said cam cleat means is tensioned while guided by saidfulcrum.
 2. The combination of claim 1 in which said fulcrum is providednear the tip of a horn projecting inwardly from the loop.
 3. Incombination, a cam cleat means having a sheet gripping station andhaving an infeed-outfeed axis defined by opposite infeed and outfeeddirections and a sheet introducing-releasing axis defined by oppositeintroducing and releasing directions, said axes intersecting atcross-angles to one another at said station and together defining aworking plane, said cam cleat means permitting a sheet to only feed inthe infeed direction while occupying said station and permitting saidsheet to be released from said station in said releasing direction forfreedom to then feed In said outfeed direction, and releasing fairleadmeans spaced from said infeed-outfeed axis and providing a sheet guidingfulcrum in said working plane, said fulcrum being spaced from saidsheet-gripping location in a diagonal direction between said infeed andreleasing directions and having an unobstructed side open at rightangles to said working plane, whereby a sheet gripped by said cam cleatmeans may be released as a consequence of being manually looped oversaid fulcrum and tensioned from a pulling location situated beyond thefulcrum in the outfeed direction even if the pulling location is alignedwith the infeed-outfeed axis.
 4. The combination of claim 3 in whichsaid releasing fairlead means comprises a sheet guiding loop projectinggenerally in said diagonal direction from said cleat means and having aninwardly projecting horn with said fulcrum adjoining its tip.